deva’s world

So as I was searching in my closet to see what I could put on Freecycle Hattiesburg (put a porcelain doll and some plates on today) as we need to get rid of stuff, I saw some of my Barbies on the top shelf.  Yes, they are all still in the box.  lol  These are not OLD Barbies by any means (those are tucked nicely away in storage) but ones that I have received or bought in the last 8 years.

Well go figure I’m sitting on at least $600 divided amonth the 9 Barbies here.  Three of them are all worth over $100 each.  WOW!  Funny thing is that one of them I bought on clearance at KB Toys before it closed down in the burg.  I know I spent less than $10 on it!

No, no, no.  Not getting rid of a one of them.  These will be passed down to my girls when they are older….  Just can’t believe it!

Hmmm this makes me want to go through the Barbies in storage!!!   I have a Shakira one (Diva series - of course)  that I wonder how much she costs…..after much searching, I finally found a pic of her online (I think this was a limited edition as I never could find it ANYwhere else) but can’t find anything that tells how much she’s $$. hmmm

Well, the last few weeks have been crazy with Thanksgiving (we went to visit my parents in Louisiana - close to Shreveport) and taking finals.

The girls had Holiday in the Grove this past Thursday…outside in the 40 degree weather….Brrrrr!  They both did great in their performance and got to show off their classrooms Christmas trees, which held their special ornaments (we got to bring them home).   There was hot chocolate for all, but they were running low so we only got SMALL servings (think about the size of a baby doll bottle size)

That same evening was Champagne’s band banquet so Scott went with him.  They got to be in a warm room having a lasagne buffet… doesn’t seem quite fair now does it!  They did have a good time at the banquet and we all arrived home from our different obligations about 8:30, which is the time the rest of us had some Papa Johns pizza!  YUM!

I took my final exam today and it was in my Plant Materials I class.  I think I probably pulled out a B for this exam.  Fingers crossed now!  I will hopefully have all my grades in by Friday or next Monday.  If I have a C in this class, I’ll cheer for joy!  It was SO hard for me!   Anyone know what the common name  for the Platanus occidentalis is?  I do, I do!!  It’s the Sycamore!  LOL That’s my favorite scientific name, so it’s one of the few I have permenantly stored (at least for this semester) in my brain. lol!

Here’s 2 out of the 50 questions that were on our test.  These are some of the easiest questions.

How many leaves must a Pecan (Carya illinoensis) have to produce one fruit?  119!

Hmmmmmm one more one more.  I got it and these are EASY!  Name one red oak and one white oak.  Answer?    Souther Red Oak (Quercus falcata) and the White Oak (Quercus alba)….Yes, there are many more of each (red and white oaks), but why should I have tried to memorize those others when two easy options are right there?

Ok.  Enough of that.  So far, for my 3 online classes I have 2 A’s and 1 B.  I just need to see how the Plant Materials grade and Plant Propagation (took that final on Friday) grades are!  Sitting, waiting, waiting sitting….

Oh did I mention I’ve now got 5 weeks off school before the Spring semester!

Ok ~~ so this is just me personally and maybe because I’ve been married for awhile now, but I don’t need chocolate diamonds, white gold, etc.  My joy comes from seeing my kids  open their presents.  The smiles on their faces light me up.  Christmas gifts are for kids.  Now, don’t get me wrong!  I LOVE a good present….but not for Christmas.

The main celebration, our reason for Christmas, is to celebrate the birth of Jesus.  We need to remember HIM on that day.  Yes, we have made it a “human” holiday, but it is so much more than that.  We need to make sure the focus is where it belongs….on our Savior’s birth.  However, I will get my children gifts.  I do love the joy of that.  I don’t think I’m bad for that.  Ok enough.  I think you know how I feel.  Now, if anyone wants to give me a *happy* for no reason, I will gladly accept!

GO VOTE!!!

Yes, yes it is true!   In my horticulture classes today, we went into the “field”…literally… a corn field.  Errrrr  lol  We were assisting our teachers to help decorate the campus for homecoming this weekend and that included gathering dried corn stalks as part of the decorations (they are going to bundle them by some pumpins)  Well, we were on a farm in the corn field and the gentleman who owns the farm (father in law of a professor at school) informed us that he has a mule if anyone would like to ride it.  I believe I had the first hand up…. lol,  yes, believe it, I did!

The mule wasn’t saddled, so he led me and then another gal in my class on a ride.  It was fun!

Sonya in my class (she calls me Girly Girl) says I was even proper sitting on a mule  hee hee!

Well, I’ve been back in college for a month now.  Can I say it’s kicking some tail?  Well, not bad, but I’m SO busy!  I’m taking 15 hours, still working, still married, still have 4 kids… you get the picture!  hee hee

I take 2 in-class classes that each last 2 hours 3 days a week…..they tend to blend together at times, and time passes quickly as it’s FUN!  During the evenings, I attempt to do online class work while working on my Plant Materials notebook (if you’ve been talking to me lately, you KNOW and have SEEN that huge sucker!) It’s an ongoing process as we pretty much do a set of trees (18 at least per set) a week.  I won’t go into all the details about that as it would BORE you!

The kids are doing great!  Champagne is in the marching band at OGHS and loves it.  He especially loves going to the games each weekend.  He is going to be taking his PSAT, required for his advanced English class, next month.  I’m sure he will do well!

CJ is doing great in school as well.  However, he still doesn’t ‘like’ school…. He is making good grades and I’m so proud of him.

Kaya and Bella (first grade and kindergarten) are both loving school.  They are learning so much!  I still can’t believe how big they are getting!

Scott is staying busy with work, karate, and going to the gym.  I miss him sometimes!  lol!  We’re hoping to get away (somehow) around his birthday in two months.  YES, alone time with my baby!!!!!

OOOHHHH we have a new member to the family!  Last Thursday, we received a kitten from a lady associated with a non-kill shelter from Lucedale.  We met halfway for me to get little kitty.  His name is Fuji and he is a 2 month old orange tabby domestic.  He’s SO cute!  We were concerned about Spike (our 2 1/2 year old cat) not taking well to him, but after only 3 days, they are playing like old pals…though Spike did let Fuji know HE was the alfa-male! hee hee

I know, I know. I need to post updated pics!  I’ll try to do that soon!  Let me find the time!

That’s all!

Ok, did I mention I’m back in college?  Yup, I want to own a landscape design company so I’m now majoring in Horticulture  …. have to do that and then pass the test at MSU to get accredited in the state!  I should only have to take 3 semesters before I get my degree (basics have been SO out of the way), so here’s keeping my fingers crossed!

The main thing that is *scary* to me is learning all of the scientific names, which we are tested on.   bleck!  Anywho,  making new friends, studying, etc.  I’m still working as well with ACE, so I stay SO busy!!!

Now, I’m SURE everyone around me within 2 hours have been keeping their eye on Gustav!  He’s projected to head straight towards the same spot at Katrina!  EEK!  We’ve stocked up on ice, water, have plenty of food.  yadda yadda yadda.  My next door neighbor, Bunny, (love her to DEATH!) and I are going to be helping each other out if Gustav goes the projected way and hits us.  She doesn’t have a deep freeze like we do, so if she needs ice, we’re here!  She’s got dry wood in her back yard (from a tree just cut down that was dead) so we could have a fire to cook hotdogs on, etc.

We’re just keeping our fingers crossed at this point!  Everyone I’ve spoken with feels the same as me, one bitten, twice shy.  Taking no chances!

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/203214.shtml?5day#contents

Thanks to Julie’s constant reminds (thanks lady!) I’m finally posting some pics from my trip to visit Julie and Tiffany from last month! We had SOOO much fun and I miss them already.

Jules, Tiff, Deva

*Inside* AmeriStar Casino in Kansas City. Isn't it COOL!

me and Jules acting goofy at the airport.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008808060345

David Moore III doesn’t use props or gimmicks when he does his magic, but at 4 p.m. Aug. 16, he will be doing mental magic when he attempts at predicting that day’s headlines from the Hattiesburg American.

He will be in the parking lot of Chili’s Grill and Bar on Hardy Street with a sealed envelope he postmarked and delivered to the American with his prediction.

“I wrote down what I think the newspaper headline will be for Aug. 16, sealed it in an envelope, had it postmarked by postal service and handed to Assistant Features Editor Felecia Moore Walker,” he said.

Mental magic is not Moore’s area of expertise but he’s practiced, but if his prediction isn’t word for word, it’s a failure for him.

Hattiesburg American public affairs manager Kristy Gould said this is an intriguing event.

“We’re pleased to assist David Moore in his endeavor to bring a fun alternative form entertainment to the Pine Belt,” Gould said. “This is interesting and I can’t wait to see what’s in the envelope.”

Moore, 26, of Hattiesburg has done magic for 15 years, learning from his father, David Moore Jr., a pastor who used to do magic at birthday parties. Moore practices sleight of hands magic, which usually takes months or years of practice before it can be performed well publicly.

“There is no trick deck or anything other than my hand moves faster than you can see it,” he said, referring to his sleight of hand techniques.

He works his magic every other Tuesday at Mazzio’s and every Monday and Wednesday night at Chili’s, both in Hattiesburg.

Moore said his next big trick will be an escape. He will try to free himself after being handcuffed, chained and thrown into a swimming pool. He said he hopes to provide a different type of entertainment for young people to see.

Published: August 06. 2008 6:40PM